Known optical readers are used for example in robotics for controlling the shape and dimensions of workpieces. These are devices of undoubted reliability but they are also very complicated and can find practical use only in highly sophisticated equipment, their cost being so high that they could not be conveniently used in other sectors such as in key duplicating machines. In this latter sector the profile of a key is in fact generally read mechanically by sliding along the profile of the original key to be duplicated a feeler mechanically connected to a cutter which duplicates this profile on a blank key to be cut.
One drawback of this known reading system is that the movement of the feeler in contact with the key profile results in mutual wear.
The wear undergone by the feeler results in a loss of reproductive accuracy, while the wear undergone by the original key can mean that with the passing of time it is no longer possible to use it to cut further keys able to operate the respective lock, and that finally the key itself is of no further use.
A further drawback of a mechanical key reader is that the data which is read must be used directly and immediately, and cannot be memorized. It is therefore not possible to delay the use of the data, and in particular where a certain number of copies are to be obtained from a given original it is necessary to repeat the reading this number of times, with all the aforesaid drawbacks which arise which each reading.